


I Will Always Come for You

by Akiko_Natsuko



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Abduction, Blood and Injury, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Imprisonment, M/M, Promises, Rescue, Revenge, Serious Injuries, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:00:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23554930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: An unwelcome face from the past returns, but this time Laxus isn't the only target. Instead, it's the person most precious to him that bears the brunt of Ivan's hunger for revenge, but the storm isn't far behind, and Bickslow is the only one that can hold it at bay.
Relationships: Bickslow/Laxus Dreyar
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	I Will Always Come for You

**Author's Note:**

> Please note that if you want to talk to me about my fics and writing, or anime/shows/games in general then you can now find me on discord [The Unholy Trinity](https://discord.gg/6sSddAWa5c).

_Drip._

_Drip.._

_Drip…_

_…Drop._

Bickslow had been waiting for it, counting the drops as they fell, splattering against the ground somewhere behind him, and yet still he flinched as on the count of four a larger drop fell. It seemed louder than before, or maybe that was because his ears were adapting, compensating for his current blindness. Either that, or he was slipping, which he supposed was equally possible as he wasn’t sure how long he had been here – not even sure where here was – the minutes, hours…days? Blending together in the darkness. _Drip…_ He grimaced as it started again, realising that he had lost count as his thoughts wandered, and as he tried to find his place again, he found himself running his tongue over his lips, finally acknowledging how thirsty he was. The steady dripping of the water, now more of a torture than a relief in the darkness, and he groaned, fingers twitching against the restraints trapping him in place against the wall.

“Hello?!” He called again, head tilted to the side, straining to hear something other than his own voice echoing back at him. Silence greeted him, just as it had every other time, and he couldn’t help but wonder what the point of this was. Why take him? He might have been the easier target after splitting from Laxus during their last job, and his scowl deepened, heart, skipping a beat as he thought about his partner.

_Laxus…_

He knew that the Dragon-slayer wouldn’t have let him be taken without a fight and that he would come for him, but as the time trickled away from him, he couldn’t quite keep the doubts at bay. Had they caught Laxus too? He couldn’t imagine that, just as he didn’t want to imagine his partner trapped like he was. Was he hurt? That had his stomach churning, worry and protective fury mixing together. Was he…? No, he couldn’t even finish that thought, shivering and shaking his head, as though to chase away the doubts. _Laxus is fine, he’s coming for me._ The first was more important, and yet he couldn’t fight the aching, yearning of the thought of the Dragon-slayer coming for him, and for a few minutes, his mind drifted. Lost in daydreams of Laxus appearing in the doorway – if there was even a door –, the rolling thunder that would announce his approach, the static and crackling of lightning that would betray his worry and fury.

The dreams couldn’t last forever, and he came back to himself as he shifted, restraints rattling between him and the wall that he was leaning against. His mind circling back to his previous thoughts. Why had he been taken? Even if it had been opportunistic, it was clear that they were aware of who he was. As he had woken to find himself wrapped in what could only be magic-suppressing restraints, leaving his magic trapped and simmering just below the surface. Then there were his eyes, trapped shut by something that was pressed over his lids, stretching from forehead to cheeks. It didn’t hurt, but it itched, a constant irritation made worse by the fact that he longed to be able to see again if only to break up the darkness a little. That they had targeted his eyes was worrying, even more so than the restraints, because anyone looking at his guild mark would realise that he was a mage – but his eyes? That was more personal, more premeditated, and it scared him.

Especially as there had been no sign of anyone since he had first woken here, clawing his way back to consciousness to find himself trapped in a nightmare. He’d been braced for questions, although he couldn’t think what someone would want to ask him, or worse pain, and in some ways, he knew that he should be grateful for avoiding that. _But why?_ Was this isolation, with the darkness and aching, gnawing loneliness that was bubbling up in the void of his teammates' voices, of Laxus’ voice meant as torture instead? He hated to admit it, even in the safety of his own mind, that it was the most effective tactic they could have chosen. He didn’t like being alone, he never had, and after so long with the Raijinshuu and Laxus he had forgotten what it was like to be alone, and the quiet was eating at him, the knowledge that they weren’t there with him a constant niggling thought at the back of his mind.

_Laxus, please hurry…_

He thought, leaning back against the wall and tilting his head upwards, not even sure what lay over his head. The water was still dripping steadily in the background, and he turned slightly towards the sound and licking his lips again, it was though acknowledging that he was thirsty had opened the floodgates. The sound taunting him now, too loud to newly sensitive ears, and he gritted his teeth, tugging against the restraints holding him in place. Aware that it was a futile gesture, having tried over and over to find any give in them, but needing to do something, anything to distract him and stop the rising fear from getting the better of him.

It wasn’t working.

The darkness, the loneliness and the growing hunger and thirst were looming over him in a way that it hadn’t before, and he swallowed convulsively, tugging at the restraints with increasing desperation. Was this how they were going to break him? Leaving him here, until he was reduced to something less than human, and despite his best efforts, he could feel his eyes stinging with tears.

_I can’t take much more of this_

_Laxus…_

****

Laxus had long since moved past anger, existing in a state halfway between fury and panic as he searched for his partner. He didn’t know how much time he had lost in the pursuit, because it had taken him a while to realise that Bickslow was missing in the first place – too long, he thought, guilt churning in the pit of his stomach. Bickslow hadn’t wanted to split up in the first place, but he had agreed to Laxus’ plan, and now he was missing, and the Dragon-slayer had thought that he’d just been caught up with something or was grumpy about splitting up. And he knew that the first thing he would say to his partner if… _WHEN…_ he found him was an apology, the words sitting heavy in the back of his mind.

“Hurry! Hurry!” He was drawn out of his dark thoughts by a familiar chorus of chivvying voices, and Laxus blinked up at his companions. Bickslow’s dolls were bobbing in the air in front of him, bouncing up and down in agitation, and he bit back the urge to snap at them. After all, they were the ones that had found him that day, screeching and blubbering as they told him that Bickslow was gone and leading him to the spot where he had been taken, the blood on the ground. They had stayed with him ever since, scouting around ahead and behind him, searching for Bickslow just as desperately as he was, and he felt himself teeter a little bit closer to panic at the reminder that they were here with him, rather than with Bickslow.

_He’s alone._

It was an unspoken thing between the two of them, and with the rest of the Raijinshuu, but they all knew that Bickslow hated being alone. He had been alone too much as a child. Shunned for his magic, and Bickslow had once admitted that was why he had created the first of the dolls because he hadn’t wanted to be alone anymore. _Bickslow…_ What made it worse was that the dolls wanted to be with him, crying for him and urging Laxus to ‘hurry’ whenever he faltered or got lost in his thoughts, but had been stopped from going with him. When Laxus had tried to ask them what had happened, knowing that the answer would take some deciphering as only Bickslow seemed able to understand them any trouble, all they had been able to say was that they had been stopped by ‘little men’. An answer that he was still no closer to understanding, adding to his frustration.

“We’ll find him,” he said instead, not sure if the words were for their benefit or his, as he looked around again, lifting his nose to the air and sniffing. His senses weren’t quite as acute as the other Dragon-slayer’s, a downside of his powers coming from a lacrima rather than an actual Dragon. However, they were still stronger than most people’s, and it was enough for him to detect the faint traces of his partner’s scent that lingered in the air. Along with another smell that he felt as though he should know, but every time he felt close to recognising it, it would slip away from him like mist beneath the morning sun. _We have to,_ he added to himself, letting them urge him forward, lightning crackling around him.

_Bickslow, wait for me…_

****

_Drip…_

Bickslow could feel himself starting to spiral, and he didn’t know how to stop it. There had been no break in the quiet darkness of his prison, nothing to distract him from the fact that he was alone…that maybe no one was coming for him. _Laxus, will,_ he thought fiercely just as he did every time that doubt had dared to raise its head, but it sounded weaker now, less confident and he shook his head, fingers curling into fists against the ground, restraints rattling. _He will._ Desperate now. He couldn’t lose faith in his partner, it was the only thing that hadn’t been taken from him, and yet he could feel it beginning to slip through his fingers as the time stretched on, nebulous and inevitable, carrying it alone in its wake.

“Laxus…” He whispered, more to hear his own voice than anything else, almost not recognising it as the word was rasped out between parched lips. _Drip. Drip. Drip._ “S-stop it…” He wasn’t sure what he was asking for at this point. For the water to stop falling? For Laxus to make this nightmare end? For his captor or captors to offer him mercy? He wasn’t even sure they were watching him, and that was a terrifying thought in and of itself, because if they had abandoned him here too, then what was going to happen to him? Ice sliding through his veins at the thought of being left in here to fade away, imagining Laxus finding him here too late. _Laxus, please…_

There was a quiet sound somewhere in the darkness ahead of him, and Bickslow stiffened, his heart beginning to pound in his chest as he waited. The silence seemed to stretch on forever, but it was possibly over seconds, his mind playing tricks of him when he heard it again. The slow, deliberate sound of someone walking towards his presence. Relief, stronger than anything he had ever felt before gripped him them, and with it came hope. _Laxus!_ Forgetting about his restraints, he lunged forward towards the sound, grunting in pain as he was brought to an abrupt halt and jerked back, the approaching footsteps pausing for a moment as though the person was listening. “Laxus!” He rasped, grimacing at how quietly it came out, mouth moving soundlessly as he tried to moisten it. “LAXUS!” It wasn’t much louder this time, and frustration bubbled up just as he heard them moving again, drawing closer, and the spark of hope grew brighter.

They paused again, and this time he heard locks being drawn back, and something – a doubt, an uncertainty started to stir in the back of his mind. How is he opening them so easily? Bickslow frowned and shook his head. _He must’ve found a key or something,_ it was easier to hope than to think about the other alternative. It didn’t stop him from holding his breath as there was a grinding noise before a rush of fresh air flooded the room, and he sensed the world around him turning a little bit brighter.

“Laxus?”

Laughter greeted his anxious, hopeful whisper, and he tensed. He knew that laughter had heard it once before. It was a sound that he knew haunted Laxus, not that the Dragon-slayer ever spoke about it, but there was always an underlying tension to his voice if they talked about the Grand Magic Games. A darkness that would seep into his expression if they mentioned his fight with Raven Tail…with his father. Bickslow’s hope flickered then, but rather than despair he was filled with fury. Anger at this man who had hurt Laxus in one way or another far too many times, and a rising, dawning realisation of why he had been chosen. _I won’t be used against him,_ he swore there and then, turning his head towards the sound, wishing more than ever that he could he see and reach his magic. He would like nothing more than to let his magic out to play against this man, but all he could do was scowl. “Ivan Dreyar.”

“Worked it out, have you?” The laughter stopped abruptly, and despite himself, Bickslow tensed as he heard the other man moving closer. On an average day, with a level playing field, he wouldn’t have feared this man. But, this wasn’t one of those days, and Ivan wasn’t known for allowing his opponents to have a level playing field, and everything here was tilted in his favour – Bickslow’s magic was bound, physically and magically, and he couldn’t even trust his body to hold out, hunger and thirst draining his strength. _Laxus now would be a perfect time for you to show up,_ he thought and almost smiled. The one good thing about knowing who had him was that he knew that there was no way that Ivan could have taken out Laxus too. His partner was out there somewhere, and when he found out who was behind this…

“Laxus is going to kill you.” He hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but he wasn’t going to take it back now, especially as he heard the sharp intake of breath that greeted the words.

He should have expected the retaliation, as Ivan wasn’t known for keeping his temper.

But, blinded and caught off guard by his own slip, he missed the rush of motion. He didn’t miss the pain that exploded in his temple, as Ivan struck him, knocking him sideways. The world seemed to tilt, or maybe that was just him, everything swirling together as the blood rushed to his head and then away again, and his stomach lurched, rolled and then rebelled against the abuse. He didn’t twist his head to his side, some distant part of him aware that Ivan was still looming in front of him, as he vomited. The cry of disgusted anger, a balm against the pain of throwing up with nothing in his stomach, and through a parched dry mouth. It didn’t protect him from the flurry of blows that followed. Fury lending Ivan a strength he usually didn’t have, and Bickslow was forced to duck his head, the only thing he could do to try and protect his head and face, tasting copper when he wasn’t quite quick enough to defend himself, his lip splitting under the impacts.

_Laxus…_

He wasn’t sure whether he had said that aloud, or if Ivan had just run out of strength, but the blows stopped abruptly, the older man breathing raggedly above him. Bickslow didn’t look up, not wanting to provide him with a target, and not wholly trusting his stomach not to rebel again. The choice was taken from him a moment later, fingers grasping his chin and forcing his head up, pushing it back, until he was unable to hold back a groan, wheezing and spluttering as he felt the blood speckling his chin. _Is he going to kill me?_ He couldn’t speak, couldn’t pull free, and a frisson of terror ran down his back. Had he underestimated how far Ivan was willing to go to hurt his son? _I won’t be used against Laxus,_ he had promised himself, but right now he could feel that choice being torn away from him along with everything else, and despite himself, he cringed back.

“Ple…” He managed to croak out, hating himself for pleading for mercy but deciding that it was better than dying here and Laxus finding him like that. _Laxus, I’m sorry…_ He thought, feeling his head being pushed further back for a moment, before there was a harsh bark of laugher above him and his head was allowed to fall forward again. He gasped, and wheezed, coughing up blood that had trickled into his mouth, and it took him a moment to realise that the fingers hadn’t released his chin. Recoiling a little as he felt breath tickling his face as Ivan leaned in close.

“Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” The hand not holding his chin reached up and patted his cheek, patronising in a way that had Bickslow’s blood boiling, and before he had thought about what he was doing, Bickslow spat at him, more blood than anything. As soon as he did, he knew that he’d made a mistake even before he heard the low, wordless snarl. He was tense, braced for the blow to come. It didn’t come. Instead, Ivan laughed, an ugly, twisted sound that was more terrifying than any strike could ever be. “Laxus is going to kill me?” He asked, throwing Bickslow’s earlier question back at him and Bickslow couldn’t bring himself to reply, not even a nod, aware of the fingers biting into his chin and the breath on his skin. Ivan close enough to see the answer in his expression. “I’m afraid that’s simply not possible.”

Silence, and Bickslow shifted uneasily. He knew that Ivan was waiting, baiting him into replying and that he was just playing into his hands, but he couldn’t stop himself. “What do you mean?”

Ivan didn’t reply, and a moment later he felt fingers against his eyes, and he instinctively tried to wrench his head away, earning a warning squeeze of his chin. Some survival instinct kicked in then, and he held himself still, praying that it wasn’t a mistake. Barely breathing, as whatever had been sealing his eyes shut was pulled away, ripped away from his skin, leaving him wincing and hissing in pain, eyes flying open. _That was your first mistake,_ he thought, barely daring to hope even as he sought out Ivan, wrists burning as his magic surged beneath his skin trying to free itself from the restraints, as he blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden return of his sight. Vision blurring and unfocused, light and dark swirling together, reducing Ivan to a looming darkness above him. _Please,_ he pleaded with his magic, gritting his teeth against the pain as the restraints glowed and seared into his skin, refusing to let his magic free, and as his vision cleared enough to let him see Ivan’s lips twisted in a triumphant smirk, he knew it was too late.

“See for yourself.” He saw Ivan’s lips move and knew that the words had to have come from him. He knew that, yet the words seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Coiling around him and slipping beneath his skin and between one blink and the next, the world seemed to come into focus. His wrists were still burning, Ivan was still there, the smirk lingering on his face as he slowly released Bickslow’s chin and stepped to the side with a flourish of his arm as he revealed the rest of the room, and the blood drained from Bickslow’s face.

“L-Laxus…?”

****

Panic had overtaken the anger now, and even though he wouldn’t say as much to the Dolls, Laxus was beginning to fear the worst. He knew better than anyone how strong Bickslow was, and how cunning he could be when he needed to be, and if his partner hadn’t managed to escape or leave some clear sign for him to follow rather than the fading trail that had led him out here, then… Laxus shook his head. He might not be able to hold back that thought or those doubts much longer, but he would fight them tooth and nail while he could because the mere idea of losing Bickslow was too much for him to conceive of. _Bickslow._

Gritting his teeth, he looked around, searching desperately for something that would point him in the right direction. The trail had led him far off the beaten path, through fields that looked long neglected, and he’d already passed half a dozen dwellings that had been abandoned a long time ago. He’d checked them all, resting in a couple of them even as he had begrudged each minute that had trickled by that wasn’t spent searching for Bickslow. He almost missed the small building, a cottage that lay buried in a copse of half-dead trees, and he might have passed it by after looking at the half caved-in roof and long grasses and weeds that had sprung up around it. But just as he was turning away to keep searching, the Dolls that had been spread out searching too, shot past him at high speed, all of them aiming at one spot.

“Little men! Little men! Little men!” It was a war chant. He had never heard them sound so vicious, and he rushed forward as he remembered what they’d told to, skidding to a halt as he spied the familiar Shikigami figures fluttering around between them in agitation.

_It can’t be…_ The last he had seen of that man was when he had been led away after their match during the Grand Magic Games. He’d heard that he had been sentenced, but he hadn’t asked for details. The moment he had taken him down in the arena had spelt the end of his interest in his ‘father’, any lingering connection broken when he’d admitted what he’d learned the hard way. That Fairy Tail was his family. That was they scent had felt familiar, although he must have been masking it somehow, no doubt knowing that Laxus would be in pursuit, and there was a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he took a step forward. _He wouldn’t dare,_ he thought, but as soon as he had thought it, he knew that he was wrong. His father had long since proven that he would go to any length to get what he wanted, whether it was Fairy Tail, his son…or his son’s partner.

Laxus drew himself up to his full height. “Let me see them,” he ordered, and the Dolls spun to look at him, defiance pouring from them for a moment before they seemed to realise that he was done playing, and the tight circle they’d formed around the Shikigami expanded. Not enough to let them escape, but enough to give him a clear view. “Where. Is. He?” He demanded, thunder rumbling overhead with each word as his power roared to life under his skin, and the Shikigami which had been fluttering around in a panic abruptly went still and turned towards him, their featureless faces fixed on him. And from each one came his father’s laughter, rising in an eerie, unsettling chorus that had his hackles rising. “Ivan…” He snarled, lightning lashing around him and reducing the Shikigami to smouldering ashes that floated to the ground, as he turned his gaze to the building.

_Bickslow…_

**

It was an illusion.

One of the Dolls had gone ahead, none of them saying a word in the face of Laxus’ rage and had flown directly through what had appeared to be a collapsing, but solid door and Laxus had growled at the sight. _He planned all of this,_ he realised, expression darkening as he realised that he had all but played into the man’s plans by splitting them up, the apology he owed Bickslow tasting like ash in his mouth as he stalked towards the building. His fury had burned through his panic, but beneath it all, there was fear, because he knew that when it came to strength on strength – physical and magical, that Bickslow should have Ivan beat, and yet he hadn’t been able to escape. And with it was the knowledge that Ivan didn’t play fair and didn’t care who he destroyed to get what he wanted, and Bickslow was alone with him.

“IVAN!” Laxus roared, thunder adding volume to his words as he brought lightning crashing down on the building, again and again, the Dolls shrieking and diving for cover, only to fall silent as the illusion shimmered, wavered and then collapsed in front of their eyes.

The building it revealed wasn’t much to look at, but it was new and solidly built. A miniature fortress undoubtedly trapped and reinforced for just this moment, and Laxus’ lips curled up in a feral grin. He doubted that Ivan would underestimate him as he had during the Grand Magic Games, but he had already made a fatal mistake – taking Bickslow – and there was nothing that he could throw in Laxus’ path now that would stop him. “Stay close to me,” he warned the Dolls as he moved stalked forwards, and they obediently fell behind him much to his relief, as he didn’t want to have to tell Bickslow he had lost one of his ‘babies’ because they had rushed ahead of him.

_Bickslow, I’m coming…_

****

_Laxus was…_

_Laxus was…_ Bickslow shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut to try and block what he saw from his mind, but the image remained, as though burned into his memory. _He can’t be…_ Somewhere deep in the back of his mind, he remembered that Ivan had illusion magic, that this could be just another trick, but it was so real. Every detail of the Dragon-slayer etched in perfect detail, right down to the lingering smell of ozone that he knew so well and the coppery tang of blood. _It’s not real. It’s not real._ Coloured spots were exploding behind his eyelids now, he was squeezing them so tightly, and yet the mantra of denials was growing weaker, bleeding away as the doubts he had been fighting so hard to keep at bay surged into the silence as the words faded.

Laxus hadn’t come for him, because…

He opened his eyes again, vision blurred for a moment, but when it cleared the sight in front of him hadn’t changed. Laxus was still there, sprawled on the floor in the far corner of his prison. An arm outstretched towards him as though even at the end he had been trying to get to Bickslow. “L-Laxus…” He whispered again, voice cracking and breaking. There was blood, so much blood…too much blood. No one could survive that, not even Laxus, and something raw and painful settled in his chest, right where his heart had been. The heart that was splintering and breaking make each breath more painful than the last, as he searched and searched for some sign of life in the Dragon-slayer even though he knew deep down that it was too late. That there was nothing to find, because…that Laxus wasn’t coming for him because…

_I lost him…I lost Laxus…_

_Laxus is…_

The world trembled. Shook. Crumbling under the weight of the realisation that Bickslow couldn’t even put into words, and it took Ivan’s startled gasp for him to realise that it wasn’t an internal sensation at all. That the room itself was shaking, the walls crumbling, as somewhere overhead thunder rumbled. Not the stirrings of a distant storm, but that of a storm raging overhead and Bickslow blinked, and it seemed to him that the Laxus on the ground seemed a little dimmer, fading in and out at the edges.

_An illusion…but?_

There was another rumble overhead. No, not a rumble. A roar of fury that seemed to echo through every part of the building. And even though he knew that it wasn’t aimed at him, Bickslow shivered at the sound, even as hope broke through the painful weight in his chest. _Laxus…_ He knew that roar, could imagine the snarl on his partner’s face without closing his eyes, and the world spun on its axis again as his attention shifted back to Ivan just in time to see the man’s smirk fading, and the whites of his eyes as he turned his eyes towards the door. “You Bastard,” Bickslow whispered, the skin at his wrist beginning to sizzle again as his magic surged, roaring through his body in response to the realisation that gripped him as the building shook again.

_Laxus is alive…_

Ivan seemed to recover at his words, whirling to face him, expression twisted into an ugly expression that did nothing to hide the trace of fear in his eyes as the building rocked again and the thunder roared louder than ever. “You should have believed the lie; it would have been easier on you.” He lifted his hands, and Bickslow braced himself as he heard a rustling, before hundreds…no thousands of tiny Shikigami materialised, rushing towards him in a never-ending torrent. “This is all because of him.” Ivan snarled above the sound of rustling. “Remember that,” he added, as the torrent reached Bickslow flinging him back into the wall, his head bouncing off the wall although that pain was lost amongst the rest, as the torrent split off into whip-like tendrils that lashed at him. No part of his body being spared, and with no way of defending himself, all he could do was duck his head and hold his breath, biting through his bottom lip to stop himself from crying out. “Laxus-chan did this to you, and when he finds you…”

There was a roaring sound in Bickslow’s ears, the world disappearing as his vision filled with white broken only by dancing black spots. Everything hurt. There was blood in his mouth. Blood trickling from dozens and dozens of tiny cuts that were opening up across his body, the Shikigami ripping through cloth and skin without discrimination, finally forcing a cry from his lips as the pain built and built and built. And caught up in the maelstrom he almost missed the snarled response from the figure who had appeared in the doorway.

“I will kill you.”

It was the chanting of the Dolls, shrill voices that he had never loved so much as he did at the moment as they echoed the last two words that forced him to risk lifting his head. Wincing as Shikigami raked across his skin, drawing fresh lines of blood across his face before the onslaught faltered and faded away as Ivan’s attention swung to the new arrival. Leaving Bickslow breathing heavily, dizzy and disorientated, and barely daring to believe his eyes as Laxus paused in the entrance, growling in the back of his throat. _Please. Please don’t be a trick this time…._

“L-Laxus…”

*

Ivan was cunning, Laxus had to give him that. The entire building had been a maze of traps, and with Bickslow’s scent lying thick all over the place as though his partner had been dragged through the whole building, he’d been forced to search the entire place. He hadn’t been gentle about it. Ripping the building, and the traps – magical and physical – that could have easily killed a lesser mage, apart with more brute force than finesse, the storm overhead building with each dead end and empty room.

In the end, it had been his lightning that had shown him the way, tearing through yet another illusion at the end of a corridor to reveal the stairs leading downwards. _Bickslow._ He’d moved faster then, a growing urgency rising as he took the stairs two at a time, his magic flaring as from somewhere deep below he heard Ivan’s voice. Hissing at the Dolls to be quiet as they swirled in agitation, he strained to listen to what was being said even as he moved towards the sound.

“You Bastard…” Bickslow’s voice had him speeding up because his partner sounded terrible and the rage that had carried him this far surged higher. _You will pay for this,_ he thought snarling as he heard his father taunting Bickslow and the familiar fluttering of Shikigami…far too many of them and remembering the attack that had been launched against him, he broke into a run. There were a dozen doors down here, and with time running out, he blasted each one open, glancing inside or letting the Dolls spread out around him, dismissing each empty room with growing frustration. Then…

_There…_

It was hidden around a sharp twist in the corridor, an open door looming up ahead and the fluttering sound a hundred times louder now, but not enough to stop him from hearing Ivan’s next words. “Laxus-chan did this to you, and when he finds you…” The air around him crackled, lightning lashing at the ground around his feet at the threat in those words, and in the sound of paper made solid hitting flesh, strangled gasps of pain finally giving way to a cry just as he reached the doorway.

“I will kill you.” The threat was out before he’d even thought about it, ignoring the small voice that sounded far too much like Makarov that told him he couldn’t go that far, that despite everything the cowardly man that had flinched at his words was still his father. He ignored Ivan too, eyes locked on the torrent of Shikigami assailing his partner as they faltered and faded away, revealing a bloodied and battered Bickslow slumped against the wall, restraints binding him in place even though it looked as though he could barely move and Laxus was snarling as the Dolls collected behind him. Voices shrill with fear and fury as they swirled around his head. “Kill you! Kill you!”

Bickslow seemed to rally at the sound, or maybe he had just processed the fact that Laxus was there. Either way, Laxus knew that it would be a long time if ever before he forgot the expression on the bloodied face that turned towards him. Fear. Grief…and a fragile, desperate hope, coloured his partner’s features, making him wonder just what else Ivan had been up to. “L-Laxus…” He had never heard Bickslow sound like that, and he swore there and then that he would never hear him sound like that again.

“Sorry, I’m late,” he forced out, struggling to find his voice. Unprepared for the way Bickslow’s face crumpled at his words, tears welling in his eyes, as he whispered.

“It’s really you…”

That whisper told him everything, and his gaze shifted to Ivan, trapping the man in place. “I’ll get you out of here, as soon as I’ve taken care of this,” he told Bickslow, voice soft as he heard the breathless sob that his partner wasn’t quite able to swallow. “I don’t care how you wiggled your way out of what you did at the Games. I don’t care if you escaped,” Laxus said, and there was no softness in him now as his attention shifted to Ivan. There was fear in the dark eyes that met his gaze, but defiance, and he tensed as he saw Ivan glance towards Bickslow. “Dolls.” He said, praying they would understand, and there was a pause before with a war cry that sounded suspiciously like one of the many curses he used, they rocketed forward. Buffeting Ivan from all directions, chanting their cry as loud as possible, covering the Dragon-slayer’s movement as he lunged forward.

The second his hand closed on warm skin, the Dolls skittered away, moving across to shield Bickslow who was watching the unfolding events through dazed eyes. Laxus glanced at him, taking in the damage that had been done, his fingers clenching tighter and tighter on Ivan’s throat. “I don’t even care that you came after me.” That wasn’t entirely true, and from the soft noise that Bickslow made, his partner knew it too. But that was a hurt to be dealt with later, in the privacy of their own home with only Bickslow there to see his weakness. “But…” He let his magic flare, bringing its full weight to bear against Ivan, careful not to let the growing pressure press in around Bickslow, his snarl becoming a feral grin as he felt rather than heard the whimper that rose in Ivan’s throat. “You shouldn’t have touched him.”

Lightning gathered around his fist as he lashed out, driving it deep into Ivan’s gut, forcing the air out of him, before he blasted him clear across the room and out into the corridor beyond. _He hurt Bickslow._ Ivan hit the wall hard, gasping and reeling as he tried to get to his feet, but ending up on hands and knees instead. Laxus followed him, smashing him into the wall over and over again, not giving him a chance to summon more than a handful of Shikigami which were promptly ripped to shreds by the lightning crackling around him in a deadly halo. “I don’t care why.” He lashed out with his foot. “I don’t care that you’re my father.” He spat that last word like the curse that it was, punctuating each word with a blow, trying to mirror the cuts and bruises on Bickslow that had clearly come from similar strikes. _I will make you feel what he felt, only you won’t have the knowledge that someone was coming for you…_ He felt Ivan’s nose break under the onslaught, blood gushing down his face, eyes beginning to take on an unfocused cast, and he didn’t care.

The storm was rising in his chest, begging for release. _He hurt Bickslow._ He reared up to his full height, towering over the huddled, sobbing figure of Ivan, expression dark as he pulled his fist back, gathering the lightning to him. He had made the mistake of letting him go once, trusting that the Council and Rune Knights would keep the man in check, and look where that had got them. He wouldn’t make that mistake again. “I will kill you.” The magic built, straining to be released, begging for it and…

“Laxus…don’t…” The whisper cut through everything. The roar of the storm overheard, the pounding of blood in his ears and Ivan’s breathless, terrified pleas and whimpers and holding the magic, he tilted his head to look back at Bickslow. His partner had pushed himself up as best he could already listing to the side, but resolved as he met Laxus’ gaze and held it.

“But,” Laxus protested, feeling fresh fury bubbling up at the sight. _He hurt you…_

“Don’t…” Bickslow repeated, the effort of speaking clearly costing him dearly, but he wasn’t done as his gaze shifted to Ivan. “He’s not…worth it.” Laxus wanted to ignore, especially as he saw the flicker of anguish and fear that Bickslow couldn’t entirely hide as he looked at Ivan, but despite that, he could see that Bickslow was serious and he hesitated. No…Ivan wasn’t worth it, but he had gone too far this time.

“He hurt you…”

“And you hurt him,” Bickslow replied. “Laxus…please…”

The Dragon-slayer stiffened at the plea. He had never been very good at denying Bickslow anything, mainly because his partner rarely asked for anything that he wouldn’t already have given freely, saving such pleas for more serious moments like this. _Bickslow…_ He shifted, gaze flickering between his partner, the Dolls that were now echoing his plea and Ivan who had unfurled slightly, looking hopeful…a hint of his usual mocking smirk daring to creep back on his face and Laxus stiffened and lashed out. But not with his magic, the lightning dissipating a split second before his fist connected with Ivan’s temple, flinging the man back into the wall again. Ivan hit it with a loud crack, a groan passing his lips before he slowly slipped down the wall to land in a crumpled heap on the floor, unmoving but alive.

“…Laxus?”

“He’s just taking a nap,” Laxus replied, staring down at Ivan for a long moment, hands curled into fists at his side. The thunder above gave one last deafening crash before beginning to fade away, as he let out a sigh, shoulders slumping a little as he turned back to face Bickslow. “One that should last, until the Rune Knights can collect him.” He didn’t know if that was the right decision, and there was a part of him – a very large part of him – that wanted to end this himself, right here and now. But, the faint smile on Bickslow’s face told him that in his partner’s eyes he had made the right choice, and for the moment that was enough, as he made his way back into the room and to Bickslow’s side.

He fell heavily to his knees beside Bickslow, reaching for him and then stopping. “Laxus?” Bickslow was fading, no longer holding on to prevent Laxus from going too far, his voice almost inaudible, but enough to jolt Laxus into action as he reached out to grasp one of Bickslow’s hands. Eyes narrowing as the chains clinked, tracing them down to burnt, bleeding wrists, almost regretting his restraint with Ivan there and then, before he lifted his head to meet dazed eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted. The apology that had been building since the moment he had realised that Bickslow had been taken bursting out of him, swelled with the realisation that this was his fault. That if he hadn’t been with Bickslow, the other man would never have been targeted by Ivan, would never have been hurt like this, and… Bickslow’s fingers curled around his, lacking their usual strength but warm and comforting in a way that the Dragon-slayer knew he didn’t deserve.

“Why are you apologising?”

Laxus blinked at him, not understanding how he couldn’t see, gesturing helplessly around him for a moment before replying quietly. “If we hadn’t split up. If Ivan wasn’t after me…if I hadn’t taken so long…” There was so much he wanted to apologise for, that he needed to apologise for and Bickslow blinked in return, comprehension dawning and Laxus braced himself. Waiting for his partner to realise that he needed to apologise, for the recriminations that he more than deserved, and he was caught by surprise when instead Bickslow laughed. An awful, painful sound, but one that had a spark returning to Bickslow’s eyes, one that didn’t dim even as the chains rattled again as he lifted his other hand towards Laxus’ face, fingers trembling as he brushed the Dragon-slayer’s cheek.

“You came…” He rasped, the wonder and relief in those two little words enough to take Laxus’ breath away, and he couldn’t look away. “That’s all that matters…and you stopped.” Laxus stared at him, in awe of the heart this man possessed. The same heart that had been given to him over and over, even before he had been able to see that, let alone reciprocate. The heart that was being offered to him again now, as Bickslow’s fingers curled against his cheek, tender and pleading.

“I will always come,” Laxus replied, reaching up to catch the hand, squeezing softly. “Always,” he repeated, his hand moving to rest over the manacle, lightning flashing for a moment as he shattered the cuff and it fell away. “And I will listen to you more often,” he continued, moving to do the same of the hand he had been holding before, watching as some of the tension bled out of Bickslow at having his magic within reach once more. “And I won’t leave you alone again,” he finished. Feeling the shudder that wracked his partner, before Bickslow all but fell forward into his arms, and Laxus hastily wrapped his arms around him, pulling him into a gentle embrace mindful of his injuries, leaning down to press a kiss to a bruised temple. “I promise.”

“Good…” Bickslow breathed, managing to smile up at him before turning to press his face against the Dragon-slayer’s chest as he began to shake. He was safe. Laxus was there, the Dolls swirling around them and calling his name in worried voices, and he clutched Laxus’ shirt in trembling hands as he finally allowed himself just to breathe.

_Laxus is here…_

_I’m not alone any more._


End file.
